Touchscreen laptops are always a bad idea – MacBook or otherwise

For some time, rumors have suggested that Apple is planning to release a touchscreen OLED MacBook. Reports from October stated the new device is due at the end of the year alongside other M6 devices.

If true, it’s likely Apple is already at a late stage of production on the devices. But there’s still time for the firm to kill the idea off, Google style.

Put simply, touchscreen laptops are a solution in search of a problem. For the most precise tasks, nothing beats a mouse or touchpad – and Apple already makes the best touchpads in the business. Touchscreens only make sense in a form factor where there’s no dedicated keyboard and mouse, which makes no sense for MacBooks.

It’s also hard to beat an iPad for sheer quality in the tablet space, though some of the best business tablets have Apple beat across specs and affordability.

Want a device for portable productivity? Buy a laptop. Want a larger touchscreen experience, with dedicated support for styluses and creative apps? Buy a tablet. The two should never meet.

More than anything, the inclusion of a touchscreen in a MacBook signals deep creative bankruptcy. It’s a true ‘we’ve run out of ideas’ move, which is weird considering it’s reportedly due to arrive alongside the long-requested OLED MacBook panel.

I can’t think of any functionality that it would offer, beyond niche use cases for the Apple pencil in creative apps – to which I would say, buy an iPad.

I greatly enjoy digital artwork in my free time, so part of me wants to love touchscreen laptops. Admittedly, I loved the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED when I reviewed it in 2023 and praised the low latency of the display when paired with the official Asus Pen. But I know that over time, the downsides of a touchscreen display would have played on my mind.

Oh, the downsides. When you crack a standard laptop display, it can be fixed relatively easily and cheaply. Touchscreens are more expensive to replace, so I hope you have budget set aside if you’re equipping your entire workforce with touchscreen devices. When they do break, they can cause damage on their way out by registering random clicks all over the screen.

They’re also a total fingerprint magnet. If you thought your laptop screen was already a little grim – and be honest, it probably needs a wipe – I hope you enjoy the smears you’ll get from regular touchscreen usage.

Beyond it all, there’s no added value from having a touchscreen on your laptop. It’s added risk and cost for no real benefit, a misstep for any manufacturer but a downright sin if introduced to the MacBook lineup.

If Apple is out of ideas, it should see what can be done with e-ink. My inbox – and that of our reviews editor Bobby – is open.